2006 NLL season
| 2006 NLL season | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| League | National Lacrosse League |
| Sport | Indoor lacrosse |
| Duration | December 30, 2005 – May 13, 2006 |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Steve Dietrich (Buffalo Bandits) |
| Top scorer | Josh Sanderson (Toronto Rock) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Buffalo Bandits |
| Eastern runners-up | Rochester Knighthawks |
| Western champions | Portland LumberJax |
| Western runners-up | Colorado Mammoth |
| Champion's Cup | |
| Champions | Colorado Mammoth |
| Runners-up | Buffalo Bandits |
| Finals MVP | Gavin Prout (Colorado) |
The 2006 National Lacrosse League season was the 20th season in the history of the league, which began as the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League in 1987. The season began on December 30, 2005 and concluded with the championship game on May 13, 2006.
The defending champion Toronto Rock were once again the favourite to win the Champions' Cup, but a slow start plus a dismal performance in the semifinal game against Rochester removed the Rock from contention. The Colorado Mammoth, under first-year head coach Gary Gait, won their first title since winning the first ever title in 1987, as the Baltimore Thunder.
Highly touted Portland rookie Brodie Merrill lived up to his hype, winning both the Defensive Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year awards. Portland continued its domination of the post-season awards with Derek Keenan, himself a former Rookie of the Year Award winner (1992 with Buffalo), winning both the Les Bartley Award for coach of the year and the GM of the Year Award, and owner Angela Batinovich winning the Executive of the Year Award.
The season featured the debut of two expansion teams; the Edmonton Rush and the Portland LumberJax, both in the Western Division. Portland beat the expansion team odds and won its division, finishing with an 11–5 record, while Edmonton did not fare so well. The Rush finished the season 1–15, their only win coming at the hands of their provincial rivals, the Calgary Roughnecks.
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